This kid’s art class will be taught by certified art teacher Kathleen Patrick, accompanied by a Zoo educator. Participants will get to meet an animal up-close and then create a painting of that animal! It’s[...]

Members: Free Non-members: $8/adult, $4/child Join us for an Outdoor Adventure in your own backyard at the Buttonwood Park Zoo! Our 4th Zoo Night will focus on getting outside and experiencing the great outdoors. The[...]

How you can help?

Conservation at home

Plant Trees

Planting trees is the most basic of environmental acts. Planting trees helps clean the environment by reducing air pollution, improving soil and water quality, and decreasing erosion and flooding. Planting trees also offers shelter for animals, increases property value, and can significantly reduce heating and cooling costs in your home. All of these benefits are important factors in reversing the effects of major environmental crises such as global warming and species loss.

Butterfly Gardens and Bird Feeders

Support and admire local wildlife by putting up bird feeders and nest boxes in your backyard. You can also plant specific types of plants that attract butterflies. Find a list of suggested plants here.

Eco-cell

There are many toxic materials in our electronics such as lead, mercury, and cadmium. You can drop off your used or old electronics at our Eco-cell drop box located in our Admissions Building. By doing this you are helping to save the environment by limiting what is dumped in landfills. We accept any of the following items: cell phones and accessories, digital cameras, iPods and mp3 players, handheld game systems, GPS units, laptops, e-readers, and portable hard drives.

Battery Disposal

Although batteries have no threat to your health when in use, they can be dangerous to your health and the environment when discarded improperly. If batteries are not recycled, they will end up in landfills where its chemicals and heavy metals can leach into soil, groundwater, lakes, streams and air. Visit the Shawmut Avenue Transfer Station page for more details on how to recycle toxic and hazardous materials.

Reusable Bags

An estimated 500 billion to one trillion plastic bags are consumed globally each year. Reusable bags are a great alternative and can be used in so many ways! You can find Buttonwood Park Zoo reusable bags available for purchase at our North Woods Gift Store.

Recycling

Americans recycle less than a third of their garbage. Our trash heaps don’t just take up a lot of land, they also pollute groundwater and release toxic fumes. Our discards represent a huge waste of materials that could have been reused. Click here for New Bedford’s Recycling Guide.

Buy Recycled, Eco-Friendly Products

Save our virgin forests by purchasing recycled paper products such as tissue, toilet paper, and paper towels. By using recycled or reusable materials you are not only protecting our forests, but also the animals that call it home. Also, try switching to eco-friendly garbage bags that are biodegradable.

Picking Up After Your Pet

Pick up your pet’s poo, just as we do at the Zoo! Pet waste that is left on sidewalks, roads, driveways, parks and yards can mix with rainfall and snow-melt and travel to storm drains and surface waters causing pollution and an increased risk of disease.

Energy Efficient Light Bulbs

Compact fluorescent bulbs (CFL) use about 90 percent less energy than incandescent bulbs. The energy saving is so significant that if every household in the United States replaced one incandescent light with a CFL, it would save enough energy to light 300 million homes for an entire year. It would also eliminate about 9 billion pounds of greenhouse gas emissions annually, which is roughly the amount emitted by 80,000 cars!

Volunteer

Photo By Ashley Graham

Interested in becoming a volunteer at the Zoo? Find out more about how you can become a volunteer here at the Zoo. Please visit our Volunteer Page for more information.

Donate

With your help we can continue enriching our community and the lives of our children for many years to come. Please visit our Donate Page, for more information.